Decoding The Art of Pitching

As Featured in Working Women Magazine

Could a better pitch create more business opportunities for you? KERRYN GAMBLE explores different types of pitches and shares a formula to have you pitching with perfection.

Pitching is about positioning and selling

The most remarkable pitches are short, powerful and emotional. They connect your audience with you, they communicate your message and they inspire action.

A major contributor to the momentum and results you experience when pitching is your own personal energy during your pitch. Aim to radiate grounded enthusiasm with clarity and confidence.

There are different types of pitches, yet every type of pitch has one thing in common - you’re selling the next step. The next step could be: selling you and/ or your brand, creating partnership or investor opportunities, selling your product/ service or getting a no! A great pitch should turn some people off as much as it turns other people on. If you’ve completed the Woman of Worth program, you’ll appreciate the different types of pitches and nuances for each.

The three most used pitches include...

1. The social pitch - a simple and general pitch for social occasions, when you’re asked “what do you do” and time is short. The aim is to provoke curiosity.

2. The elevator pitch - a simple pitch you would use if presenting to a networking group. The aim is to connect your audience with: what you do, your credibility, your product/ service and social proof that it's/ you're a great choice good. The ideal outcome is to be invited to discuss this further at another meeting.

3. The longer pitch - a more comprehensive pitch used when proposing partnerships, seeking funding or selling from stage. The aim is to communicate what you do with clarity, identify your niche customer, establish credibility, demonstrate relevance to your market’s problems, present a solution and connect what you do with a bigger context and convey how clients feel when working with you.

Your pitch needs to have a clear call-to-action.

What specifically do you want the listener to do (eg complete a quiz, download a resource, buy a book, join your mailing list or introduce you to network connections). Without clear instructions about what to do next, your listener is unlikely to take action and will forget you as the business of life takes over. For greater momentum, lead your listeners with a statement of what you’d like them to do NOW, describe how this will benefit them in the long term and finish your pitch with an enticing immediate benefit.

Here’s an example of a social pitch structure to use when answering “so what do you do?”.

Step 1: Get clear on who specifically you help or who achieves best results with your product/ service

Step 3: This is where you bring in the magic. What is the big result your client receives when working with you/ using your products, beyond the tangible? What’s something really meaningful to them and often the hidden motivation driving your clients desire to seek a solution? For example they want to be noticed, want more confidence, more choice or want to make a difference.

When you put it all together, your social pitch might sound something like this: “I help first-time writers create world-class manuscripts, to give them credibility and connect their message with a broader audience.” Simple! Now it’s your turn:

I help (step 1 answer), to (step 2 answer) so that (step 3 answer). Feel free to tweak the connector words, for example: using “to achieve” instead of “so that” - you get the gist! Remember when constructing your pitch, keep in mind what you want people to say and remember about you afterwards.

Once you’ve made your pitch, there are four possible responses you may experience

You’re swamped with interest

People are curious to know more, or how they can make your offer a win/ win for both parties

People want to give you feedback - sometimes constructive, sometimes not

Complete dis-interest

All of these are perfect and a valuable barometer of: your audience, relevance of your subject matter for the audience and your delivery. Remember: great pitches take practice and you can only pitch to someone who is listening! We live in a world full of connectors and decision makers - people are always connected and we’re pitching even when we're not trying to!

On a mission to close the confidence and achievement gap for women, Kerryn applies her expertise in self confidence and self-leadership to help professional women communicate with conviction. To have Kerryn speak at your next event, click here.